Playing guitar and keyboards in the San Diego bands Via Satellite and The Album Leaf is a hands-on experience for Drew Andrews. So is buying albums. “There definitely is an attraction to flipping through the CDs and looking at the artwork,” said Andrews, 28.

Christopher Ashley officially took over as artistic director of La Jolla Playhouse Oct. 2. And he's hit the ground running. “I basically arrived here last Tuesday and had everybody asking me, 'So what are you going to do?' ”